MVP: LeBron James, Miami Heat. James won his fourth MVP in five years to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four) as the only players with so many. Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports

Coach of the Year: George Karl, Denver Nuggets. Karl did not have an All-Star to work with but still won 57 games. Chris Humphreys, USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Player of the Year: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies. Overshadowed for years by older brother Pau, Gasol led the best defense in the NBA by averaging 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals a game. Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports

Sixth Man of the Year: J.R. Smith, New York Knicks. Initially unhappy coming off the bench, Smith took charge and was the second-leading scorer (18.1 points a game) on the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. Debby Wong, USA TODAY Sports

Most Improved Player: Paul George, Indiana Pacers. En route to his first All-Star Game, George improved his game across the board while taking the role of lead scorer from injured Danny Granger. Pat Lovell, USA TODAY Sports

Executive of the Year: Masai Ujiri, Denver Nuggets. The only African-born GM in the NBA built a balanced roster that won 57 games. Chris Humphreys, USA TODAY Sports